My Writing Space - B.J. Daniels

I'm continuing my series about something that interests me personally: writing spaces. I love to hear about that creative nook writers make for themselves in order to encourage the word-smithing genius. Therefore I've asked some of my author friends to share a picture and description of their personal writing spaces. 

This week I am thrilled to have USA Today bestselling author B.J. Daniels talking about her writing space. B.J. has published over 60 novels and is the poster child for bestsellers in Intrigue. But moreover, I find B.J. (Barb) to be a fabulous person. She and I met when I attended the Romance Writers of America conference this past July. She happened to be talking with me at a moment when I was feeling particularly overwhelmed -- and like I couldn't possibly belong -- at the Harlequin author party (surrounded by people like her who had written dozen and dozens of bestselling books, compared to my measly just-barely one). She put her arm around me and said, "You're one of us now." Her other advice included "Just write your books one at a time."

The clincher for the "Barb is a Fabulous Person Award" came when I asked her if she would be willing to talk about her writing space a few weeks ago. I wasn't even sure she would remember me, but she did. And she said -- twice -- she'd be "honored" to be a part of the My Writing Space segment. Graciousness of that type says a lot about a person.

But believe me, the honor is all mine.

 

My Writing Space - From the desk of B.J. Daniels:

We moved about seven years ago to a small town in north central Montana. The house we bought was a two-story stone structure with four large bedrooms. I quickly realized when my husband began remodeling that I didn’t have a writing room.

“We’ll have to buy you a building.”

What?

BJ Daniel's office as it looked when it was built in 1915

He had one in mind. It was a tiny structure along the main drag that had once been the telephone office. Built out of concrete like a bunker, it had large glass block windows with lots of light and two levels with a bathroom. I moved my furniture in and went to work.

Now, after seven years, my husband is going to remodel my office. I can’t wait. I have all kinds of cool plans for what I would like it to be. We’ll see. :-)

Since I have nine-foot ceilings, I’m thinking cool drop lights, bamboo floors, a small kitchen in the back and another bathroom. The other bathroom is on the second level. I want lots of bookshelves and bright colors.

One of BJ's quilts

I love my space even as it is because it’s very quiet and sunny and all mine. I write in one area and quilt in another. Yes, I can see my sewing machine and projects from my desk, but I don’t sew until I have written my ten pages a day.

Whenever there is a parade, it goes right past the front window of my office. Since being a telephone office, this building has been everything from a church to a flower shop. I love that it was built in 1915 and you can still see the word TELEPHONE in the front, though only barely.

My desk, while large, gets completely covered by the end of a book. So my ritual is to clean off my desk before I start another book. My desk calendar is usually covered with writing. I scribble everything on there including character names, appointments, birthdays and notes to myself. I keep the calendars because I often have to go back and find something important that I wrote down. :-)

I have no organization, which you’ve probably already figured out. But it works for me. I used to file papers on the floor. I don’t do that anymore now that I have plenty of space to stack them somewhere else. :-)

I love my space because I can escape the house. The office is about four blocks away from the house – just far enough since we get a lot of company.

Info About B.J. Daniels 

USA Today Bestselling author B.J. Daniels was born in Texas but moved with her family to Montana at the age of five. Her first home was a cabin in the Gallatin Canyon and later a lake house on Hebgen Lake outside of West Yellowstone.

Most of her books are set in Montana, a place she loves. She lives now in a unique part of the state with her husband and three Springer Spaniels.

When she isn't writing, she loves to play tennis, boat, camp, quilt and snowboard. There is nothing she enjoys more than curling up with a good book.

You can find her current release FORSAKEN at her website: http://bjdaniels.com/

Cinderella At the Ball - My First RWA Conference Experience

Last week I attended the Romance Writers of America annual convention. I hadn’t planned to go. But when three weeks before the conference  I suddenly found myself with a publisher who wanted to wine & dine me while there, I decided I was awesome  to attend.

A well-attended Harlequin workshop

Hey, especially since it was in Atlanta, my old high school stomping grounds.  Plus, my parental units are in Georgia = free babysitting.

There were about 2500 people (I’ll admit, mostly women) in attendance. The different types of romance writers present ran the absolute gamut: from sweet, inspirational romances to the type of stuff I cannot even think about without blushing.

We came together to celebrate and learn and meet and commiserate.  And I must say, it was wonderful.

Here was a group of women who understood almost every issue I have that involves writing. Joys such as: writing while children are screaming for dinner, the challenges of your “writing space” being the living room couch, and writing a sex scene when you know your mom is going to read it.

Everybody understood my problems and I understood theirs. I walked into a sisterhood I never knew I needed. But I know now.

My SOLD! Ribbon

It was my first RWA conference, although I didn’t wear the little
ribbon they gave me for my name tag that said so (btw, I don't wear a
t-shirt saying “I’m a tourist!!!” when I go to a new city either). But I did proudly sport my SOLD! ribbon indicating that I had sold my first book.

I was able to attend workshops about Surviving You First Book Deal, Boosting Energy & Beating Stress (more vegetables? Gross), Developing an Online Presence (wait, you want me to use social media MORE than I do now? Is that possible?), and Ergonomics for Writers (You mean sitting hunched over a computer for twelve hours in a row is not good for me?).

Plus there were workshops on self-publishing (which was, by far, the best attended workshops), pitches, plots, dialogue, research, serial killers, forensics, queries, steampunk and dozens of other topics. I didn’t make it to any of those, sadly.

Heather Long, Delores Fossen, Bab Han

Although the RWA convention itself was great, the really fabulous part for me was going there as Harlequin Author. I’ll never get tired of saying it… “Janie Crouch, author.”

Well, almost author. Soon. You know, in April 2014. But that little not-quite-published-yet detail didn’t matter to Harlequin. They brought me in like one of the family.

I got to go to parties and receptions and lunches and dinners, even a pajama party – all paid for by my publisher. Author-only stuff, like the famous (amongst writers) Harlequin soiree this year held at the Ritz Carlton.  I must admit, I felt important. Appreciated. Like Cinderella at the ball, except there were no pumpkins at midnight.

I was able to meet my delightful editor face-to-face and am looking forward to having a long and fruitful relationship with her. She’s tiny and fun. I'm sorry I don't have pictures us.

Nora Roberts& stalker on the dance floor

Plus, I got to see Nora Roberts (arguably the biggest name in contemporary romance) dancing to It’s Raining Men at the Harlequin Author party! I had to keep my distance due to an earlier... er,... stalking event, but we still did a "walk-by photo shoot". That woman can dance!

More importantly (yes, even more important than Nora Roberts dancing), I met the wonderful ladies of the Intrigue line. All of them highly successful authors, yet they still took me – someone they had never met and never read – and treated me like one of their own.  We laughed and sang and took crazy pictures and chatted for hours. They offered invaluable advice, and I’m thankful. I hope to be friends with these ladies for years to come.

Intrigue Authors - a true sisterhood

...or something. :-)

I left RWA counting my blessings: To have a book finished and new one in the works. To have a publishing contract. To have a husband and family who support me in all my neuroses.  And to have new friends who understand exactly where I am and where I'm trying to get. 

Cinderella at the ball, indeed. And no pumpkins in sight.